Welcome to the July 2012 charting to avoid and fertility awareness thread. We are all at different stages in family planning and our own fertility. Some of us are very ardently Charting to Avoid (CTA); some are CTA but would be thrilled with a BFP; and we even have a few who are "whatevering" or pregnant and continue to hang out here.

If you did not post last month, you may have been deleted from the list. If you have joined recently, please double check I have your chart linked correctly. If you were mistakenly deleted, you would like to be added/removed, or you spot anything you would like me to change, please post or PM me to let me know. Remember, you must post in Julyif you want to be on the August list!

i am still here and reading. i wish all my nfp knowledge about expecting af helped me to expect labor. lol. but it doesnt seem to be working. soon i get to start charting mucus again! and trying to figure out if my fertility is returning. i cant wait to start talking mucus with you ladies again.

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NM here either! Ha! I'm debating temping this month since my sleep is so disrupted! Idk. Can't hurt to do it but I don't like the ttc mindframe it tends to put me in. Does that happen to anyone else?

I might just count days this month. Not sure.

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Hi, just looking around to see if this is something I can do...! My first baby, Norah, just turned 6 months old and my period started today. I am NOT ready to have another baby, but I've also never done charting, so I'm freaking out. She's still exclusively breastfed and nurses through the night as well, so I don't understand why my period would be back so soon.

Can I even do this? Will my body start back up like clockwork, or will it take a few cycles to level out? And how do I temp when I'm up nursing all night?

Hi, just looking around to see if this is something I can do...! My first baby, Norah, just turned 6 months old and my period started today. I am NOT ready to have another baby, but I've also never done charting, so I'm freaking out. She's still exclusively breastfed and nurses through the night as well, so I don't understand why my period would be back so soon.

Can I even do this? Will my body start back up like clockwork, or will it take a few cycles to level out? And how do I temp when I'm up nursing all night?

Welcome! I would like to think that yes, indeed you can do this! Lots of us on here are working through our PP cycles.

I don't know why your cycle started up under those conditions. Stress, lack of sleep, missing a few usual nursing sessions (especially those in the pre-dawn hours), all can make your cycles start back up. If you've started solids, maybe it was just enough of a replacement for nursing to push your fertility over the edge.

You should know that the first few cycles will most likely be wacky. They might even be anovulatory, like your body is just "practicing." Often your luteal stage will not be long enough to sustain a pregnancy even if you should conceive.

You may find that temping won't work for you, or that even with constant sleep disruptions you can still establish a pattern. You might want to rely more on your other signs (mucus and/or cervix).

I would get some in depth resources about FAM/NFP asap. Our resources on the thread are a good start. You especially need one with a good PP guide. I think many of us would also recommend taking a course, even better, one with a PP specialty. Taking a class isn't as daunting as it might seem, and it can be the difference between success and failure. Almost all classes can be taken in person or long-distance (via phone or internet), and almost all offer financial assistance if you need it.

And, of course, we will try to answer any and all questions you have!

Wife to DH from Mexico, and mother to DD (01/10); DS (09/11); and one on the way (03 or 04/14)

I don't know if it's OK to recommend other forums here, but there is a good one for NFP that I know of. It is Catholic, but they aren't pushy or judgemental like I have found on other faith-based forums, and anyone can join regardless of faith (or lack of). There are several instructors from the different methods on there to answer questions. If anyone is interested, PM me!

Wife to DH from Mexico, and mother to DD (01/10); DS (09/11); and one on the way (03 or 04/14)

Hi Ladies! How is everyone doing?? I am back for a quick minute. I haven't been temping, but have been making a note of my CM. I was wondering if someone could take a look at my chart?

I did take one full month of BC pills after my D&C in April to get my cycle regular. However, I do not think it worked very well. Per my OB's advice to stop the intermittent spotting from the procedure and to get my cycle's back on track, I took a month of Ortho Novum, During that month, I started spotting in week 3 with regular flow for two days after I started the sugar pill and then back to spotting for two or three days. I decided not to use them again because of the mid cycle spotting. I have never experienced that before with NFP/FAM, so thought, why start now? I was all geared up to get my Mirena placed, but then had some insurance trouble. Fast Forward to today. My period is about 2 days late per my regular cycle average. However, I wasn't sure how to log when I started my period because of the spotting with the stupid pill. So, I put CD1 as June 8th which was day two of the sugar pill. I think I O'd around June 29th based on CM. Plus I have been sporadically taking my temp, My pre-O temp averages in the 97's with my post-O temp averaging in the 98's. My temp went over 98 around the 29th. I wanted to add I did take a HPT this morning BFN. Though I think I would only be 9-10dpo if I o'd, so it's kind of early to tell.

Update: Wouldn't you know it? A few hours after I posted this, I started spotting and now am having light flow. Mystery solved...lol. My insurance is all fixed now, so will be making an appointment to have my Mirena placed next week.

Dreamingtree, thanks for starting this month's thread. Buterflymomma, I hope that Mirena works well for you. Welcome, Jesusfollower!

I haven't gotten back to temping or charting yet, but I'm checking in. I had a follow-up ultrasound and visit with my new oncologist today, and there was evidence of remaining tumor so I will need another surgery. The hope is that it was just missed during the first surgery and isn't new growth. My right ovary and uterus still look fine so, unless the next surgery and pathology report reveal any surprises, I should get to keep them and have a shot at future fertility. Nonetheless, I'm feeling a bit betrayed by my reproductive system at the moment.

Can I join you ladies? Just replaced my thermometer and will pick up my charting again tomorrow.

My name is Kristin. I'm a 23 year old music student. From the looks of the list in the first post, I'm not the only violinist here. Awesome!

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Hi, just looking around to see if this is something I can do...! My first baby, Norah, just turned 6 months old and my period started today. I am NOT ready to have another baby, but I've also never done charting, so I'm freaking out. She's still exclusively breastfed and nurses through the night as well, so I don't understand why my period would be back so soon.

Can I even do this? Will my body start back up like clockwork, or will it take a few cycles to level out? And how do I temp when I'm up nursing all night?

Of course you can start charting! My period started back at six months on the button with each baby (4 so far) even though I never slept and exclusively breastfed. I was actually tandem nursing my 9 month old and 2 1/2 year old and got pregnant with number 4...... some fertility is just that stubborn. i didn't temp, but used cf and cp. that didn't work so well. so i then started using a cf only method that mt. gooseberry and others here recommended. this worked very well for us.

It took a few cycles for mine to shorten and sync up. by 12 months (if i made it that far) my cycles were regular, but not before.

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Lionessmom - How are you doing ? Looks like from your signature you have someone new to tell us about?

feeling good. had a baby boy july 6th! i am 12 days pp now. i am hoping lam works for me as long as it did last time. when the flow stops i am going to start charting my cm to keep an eye out for signs that it is returning. just bc it took a long time last time doesnt mean it will again.

my new son was 9lb 6 oz and 21 3/4 in long. he has strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. looks just like his daddy :) it was an easy birth for me. felt like a bad stomachache up until a few hours before birth. then it got intense and he was here quickly after that. by the time i called the midwife and she got here she only had about 20 min before he was crowning. no complications but he was trying to come out with his hand by his head. lol. she had to move that a little.

i am taking placenta pills and they really seem to help. i am recovering fast. i just have to remember to take it easy. we are smitten with the new guy, esp his sisters. they keep trying to crawl all over him.

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Lionessmom- That's wonderful! I'm so glad your labor went well and that you are feeling good in the postpartum period. Very happy for you! It does seem like just a little while ago that you got pregnant. I bet it felt a lot longer to you though ;)

I can't think too much about how sweet and cuddly newborn babies are or I'll be activating my baby fever again ;)

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Staying up late and getting up early to watch the Olympics is screwing with my temping. Not sure if my jump in temp is due to O or my crappy sleeping habits recently. *sigh* Going to take a little bit to get used to this again.

...anyone else glued to the TV/Olympics webpage?

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Hey everyone! Life has been hectic (which should just be the definition of life, am I right?), so I haven't been on the forums. Honestly, I've hardly made it to my computer at all.

Still LAM, but I'm concerned that my fertility is returning. I have a BIP of sticky. It's very consistent too. Like the same kind of sticky? Anyway, 4 days ago, I noticed that it was more wet than sticky. I wasn't sure if it was because I had just had lunch with my husband though and we were holding hands (non-sexual, but bodies can be tricky so who knows!). Then, of course, he decides to mess up the next few days of me trying to see if the CM continues, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I keep dancing around in my head of what I would do if my fertility really is returning. I won't know until I keep track of it for a few days, but I just don't know if I can handle the extra stress right now of CTA. I also really don't like the idea of getting on any sort of BC again. I won't do hormones at all. I'm kind of considering the copper IUD, but I don't want to mess with my body. I feel like I've spent my whole adult life messing with it and I'm finally finding my normal. I also REALLY don't want another baby right now. I do want another baby, but I have visions in my head of my 6 month old being more like a 3 year old and my 3 year old being more like a 6 year old. :-P

Anyway, what do you ladies do when you get down about CTA? How do you avoid getting stressed about it? Is there ever a point in your life when you've decided to stop CTA and use some sort of BC for your mental health and stress levels?

Superhero and mother to Peanut (03/20/09) and Twig (01/20/2012). Fighting for the rights of mothers out there who and much more!

Hugs, lactatinggirl. Pretty sure we all go through this. As far as considering something else, well, I'm Catholic, so there is no other option for child spacing for me. To be honest, I'm kind of glad I don't have to deal with the temptation of other methods. When there is no other option it's easier to just buckle down and do it. That said, it also helps that I am convinced that NFP really is superior to all those other methods.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes NFP sucks. It's a hassle, it takes way more effort than other methods, and you have to be committed to it. But it really is best in so many ways, and when you don't have the other methods constantly calling your name and trying to seduce you with their easiness, you can just relax and surrender to NFP. It becomes a part of your non-negotiable routine, like brushing your teeth.

In any case, you can count on my commiseration and sympathy as you toil through your slump. Cheers!

Wife to DH from Mexico, and mother to DD (01/10); DS (09/11); and one on the way (03 or 04/14)

lactating--I use both condoms and CTA. I'm trying to do things as naturally as possible but at the same time we're trying to cover out asses, just in case. Would this be an option for you? MAny women use condoms in the fertile window then once the danger (ovulation) is a few days behind them they drop the condoms again.

I also can't do hormones. The Pill made me violently ill and/or crazy, depending on which one I was on that month. It was horrible. WE don't particularly *like* using condoms but we are dealing with that for now until I get a month or two of charting done to make sure my post-pill body is leveling out.

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Lactatinggirl, strictly speaking, while you are still in lactation amenorrhea, you do not qualify for LAM for the reason that your daughter is over 6 months old. There aren't as many studies that would give you great information on how effective ignoring fertility signs is beyond 6 months. You'd likely have about a 5-10% chance (best guess 6% using eco BFing with no attention to fertility) of viable pregnancy before your first PPAF. Paying attention to fertility and acting accordingly can reduce that further if needed. Normally, you'd have a couple of months from the time you first see lots of changes from your BIP before you ovulate the first time. If you wanted to take some of the guess work out, I'd look into the Marquette Method. It uses the Clear Blue Easy fertility monitor, and they have a postpartum protocol (check out the NFP while breastfeeding wiki - very easy to learn method) that is said to be pretty darn good when it comes to minimizing abstinence without sacrificing effectiveness before your period comes back. You'd have to pay for the fertility monitor, and you have to pay for the test sticks as long as you are using the method (1 every other day), but I'm not sure that's any more expensive than the ongoing expense of contraception (not to mention the unpriced cost of messing with your body). If you start checking again and notice that it's just your BIP still, then I wouldn't use this when you're clearly infertile, but if things are going to be confusing, and you're so stressed out that you're considering other birth control, this bit of technology might be your answer.